Celia: A Wonderful Bride
by Haysel Raune
Summary: Celia was loved and happy in Forget-Me-Not Valley. But something was always missing...until now.
1. Chapter 1: Going to Town

Celia sighed and wiped her brow with the back of her dirt-covered hand. She smiled at the field full of strawberries she had just planted.

"There. All finished." She said proudly.

She looked over her shoulder for Vesta. Not seeing her anywhere, she decided that her maternal employer must be in the store room. So, Celia got up off her knees, wiped her hands on her apron and went into the house to wash up. She opened the door to see Marlin, sitting at the table eating his lunch of a sandwich and a glass of milk. He smiled at Celia when she came in.

"You look like you've been working hard. Did you get those strawberries planted?"

Celia smiled broadly and nodded.

"Yep! Every last one." She said as she made her way over to the sink to wash her hands.

She sighed happily and she let the water run over her tired fingers.

"I can't wait until they bloom. Strawberry blossoms are so pretty." She said quietly.

"Not as pretty as other things." Marlin added, glancing at Celia out of the corner of his eye.

Celia blushed a little. She turned the water off and dried her hands on a towel.

"I'm going to town later. Do you need anything? Medicine or anything?" she asked, looking anywhere but at Marlin.

Marlin got up out of his chair and cleared his plate from the table.

"I'll go with you. You shouldn't go to town by yourself, you know. It's a long way." He said as he put his dish in the sink.

Celia's blush deepened.

"That's alright, Marlin. I can take care of myself. Besides, you shouldn't do a lot of walking in such fragile health." She replied, looking at him with worry.

Marlin's face fell and he ground his teeth.

"I'm not an invalid, Celia. A walk to town isn't going to hurt me." He snapped.

Celia jumped a little at his suddenly harsh tone. She bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"I-I'm sorry…..I only thought….."

Marlin cursed himself for upsetting her. He sighed and ran his fingers though his hair.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bark at you like that." He said softly.

Celia looked up and gave him a little smile.

"I just don't want you to push yourself too hard. I don't want to you have any more coughing fits." She said genuinely.

Marlin smiled down at her. He reached over and gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. Celia's whole face reddened. Marlin chuckled softly.

"Be back before dark, okay? I worry about you being out there after dark."

Celia merely nodded, incapable of saying anything. Marlin stepped around her and went to the door.

"And tell Vesta before you leave. She might want you to pick up something up." He said as he left.

Celia went up to her room in the loft and changed as her heartbeat returned to normal. Marlin. He loved her so much. He was sweet and all, and Celia liked him, but she just didn't seem to like him near as much as he liked her. And then, there was the matter of the arrangement her parents had set up for her. In no more than two years, she was going to marry a man from the city. A man she had never met, as of yet. It frightened her. So much so that she often thought she just might marry Marlin to get out of it. But that would be wrong. Besides, she didn't want to marry to get out of a marriage. She wanted to marry someone that she truly loved with all her heart. That was Celia's dream.

After she had changed clothes, Celia grabbed a shawl and went out to the storeroom to find Vesta.

"Two tomato seeds, got it. Anything else, Takakura? " Vesta asked.

"Nope, that'll be it for now, thanks Vesta. I just want to get him started. I'm not even sure if he'll want to grow crops the first year. Honestly, I'd rather he raised animals. But, it's going to be his farm so, he can do whatever he wants. I just want to give him options." Takakura answered.

Vesta nodded. "I see. So, when is he coming?" she asked.

Takakura shrugged.

"I don't even know if he's going to come. I'm going tomorrow to see him. If he's up for it, we'll come right back." He explained.

Vesta laughed. 'You mean you don't even know if he's coming yet? And you're going to all this trouble to make sure he has everything! Oh, Takakura, you're a dreamer aren't you?" she joked as Celia came in.

Takakura mumbled something indistinct as Vesta handed him the seeds.

"Well, here's hoping he says 'yes'." She teased with a smile.

Takakura took the seeds, muttered a quick "Hello" to Celia, and left. Celia looked at Vesta, confused.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

Vesta smiled and shook her head.

"Takakura is going to see his old farm partner's son. He's going to see if the boy wants his father's property or not. Takakura's getting on in years and he can't maintain it anymore, so he thought he'd give the kid a chance to run the farm." She explained.

Vesta chortled.

"He's got his mind set on the boy coming, bless him." She added.

Celia's curiosity pricked. She cocked her head to the side.

"How old is the son?" she asked, her checks getting a bit pink.

She wasn't boy crazy or anything but she already knew all the men in the valley and none were interested in her but Marlin. Ever the romantic, Celia thought it might be nice if this boy turned out to like her.

Vesta gave her a sly smile.

"Look at you, miss. Fantasizing about a boy you haven't even met." She jeered.

Celia blushed deeply and looked at the floor.

"I'm just curious." She murmured.

Vesta chuckled and shrugged.

"Takakura didn't say." She replied.

Celia's heart sank just a bit.

"Oh." She commented.

Vesta folded her arms over her chest.

"So, why is it you came in here?"

Celia's head popped up as she suddenly remembered her purpose.

"Oh! I wanted to tell you that I'm going to the store soon. Do you need anything?"

Vesta thought for a moment.

"Two jugs of milk, some butter, and a bag of flour." She decided.

Celia smiled and nodded.

"Alright." She said happily.

Vesta gave her a warning look. "Don't you stay out past dark, you hear? It's dangerous for a young girl to be alone at dark." She warned.

Celia chuckled.

"I'm not so young anymore Vesta. I'm almost 26. But, I promise, I won't stay out late." She said and she turned to leave.

"Take care!" Vesta called after her.

Celia decided to take a walk up to the spring before she headed out. When she had first moved to the valley, Nina had told her a story about three little harvest sprites that lived in the valley.

"They live up near that old spring, tucked away in the big oak tree. They're awfully shy. They don't come out of their holes too often. In fact, you may live your entire life in the valley and never see them. But they're there alright, I know it."

From then on, whenever she could, Celia went up to the spring to visit the sprites and see if they would come out. Today, as she went up the path, she paused by Takakura's farm and looked at it. It was a fairly dismal looking place. The building's were old and there were no animals or plants to liven the place up. Yes, something was definitely missing. A spark. She wondered if the son of Takakura's friend would want anything to do with the farm. She hoped so. It was in desperate need of some life.

Celia came to the spring and stood amongst the flowers that grew there. She bent down and plucked a Goddess Drop and inhaled it's sweet scent. She sighed happily.

"I hope he comes." She murmured aloud.

"Who is it?" Nik asked.

"Be quiet!" Flak scolded.

"But we wanna know who's visiting!" Nak whined.

"Shh! Both of you!" Flak snapped.

"Oh, it's that farm girl!" Nik realized,

"Oh, she's so nice! " Nak commented

"I agree!" Nik concurred.

"BE QUIET!" Flak shushed.

The Sprites watched Celia from behind their tree as she tossed her flower into the spring.

"Hello? It's me again. I just dropped by before I went to town. I don't think I'll be back in time to come later." She called.

Nik sighed.

"She's so sweet. "

"She's so pretty." Nak added.

"Shush!" Flak insisted.

Celia looked around and sighed.

"Well, I suppose I'd better be off." She said finally.

With that she headed down the path toward town, where she would run into an unexpected surprise.


	2. Chapter 2: Town and Back Home

The road to town was long and quiet. Celia hardly met anyone along the way. Having set out around noon, she reach town around one. The change from the quiet countryside to the bustling city never ceased to surprise Celia. Everything was so different here. It was hard to remember what it was like when she used to live here. She had gotten so used to life in the Valley. Much to Celia's despair, her country clothes made her stick out like a sore thumb. It made her feel like everyone was looking at her. This, of course, made her very uncomfortable as she made her way through the busy streets to the store. She made it a point to get in and out as quickly as humanly possible. She got Vesta's milk, butter, and flour as well as a few personal items and a basket to carry it all. Having a little extra money, she decided to treat herself to a delicious apple tart to eat on the way home. She looked up at the sky nervously. It was clear the sun was setting. Marlin and Vesta were going to be mad when she came back after dark. So, she hurried through the streets, trying her best to at least be out of the city before dark. She was in such a rush, however, that she failed to see that the crosswalk sign had changed to "Don't Walk" and stepped out into the road just a truck came barreling in. Before she realized what was happening, Celia felt someone grab the back of her dress and pull her back onto the sidewalk. Celia gasped and stumbled back into the young man who had saved her and was about to protest until she saw the truck speed right over the spot she had been standing. Her eyes widened and she looked back to see the young man looking at her, concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Celia blushed a little. There were a million perfectly lovely things she could have said and, when she looked back on that encounter, she often cursed herself for being so blunt.

"Could you let go of my dress please?" she asked absently.

The man smiled and chuckled a bit. He released his death grip on the fabric and patted her back softly.

"I'd say you're no worse for wear." He said softly.

Celia blinked rapidly as she regained her senses.

"Um, th-thank you!" She said quickly.

She looked at the ground, embarrassed.

"I guess I should have said that first." She mumbled.

But the man just laughed.

"Don't worry about it." He reassured her.

Celia shifted back and forth on her feet nervously as they waited for the light to change. It seemed to take forever. Just as it was about to, the man spoke up.

"Um, miss? I couldn't help but notice that you're traveling alone and, this is just a guess but I think, you don't live around here do you?." He prodded gently.

Celia felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Was it that obvious? She nodded slowly. The man's brow furrowed into a worried expression.

"Well, perhaps this is a bit forward of me but, I'd feel much better if you let me escort you. At least until reach the edge of town?" he offered.

Just then, the light turned. Celia turned back to him, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Thank you, b-but I'm fine." she said quickly before going on her way.

If only she had known how the man had watched her walk away. If only she had know that he didn't sleep well that night. If only she had known how soon she would see him again, she might have happily accepted the escort. But, for now, she was too shaken up and in too much of a hurry to consider these things. She had to get home before Vesta had a cow. The rest of her journey went without incident and she ended up getting back just after dark. Sure enough, when she opened the door, Vesta was sitting at the table, waiting. As soon as Celia shut the door, Vesta stood up.

"Where have you been? You said you'd be back before dark." Vesta inquired worriedly.

Celia set the basket on the table and gave Vesta an apologetic look.

"I know, I'm sorry. But there was so much traffic and the store was packed. I really am sorry, Vesta." She pleaded.

Vesta sighed and shook her head.

"Well, you're home and safe. That's what matters." She said with a small smile.

She nodded up at the loft.

"Now get to bed. I'll put this away."

Celia smiled and gave Vesta a quick hug before heading up to her room in the loft. She was exhausted from the day's events. From the tiresome chore of planting all those strawberries to her near death experience, it had been quite the day. She was just about to climb in bed when she heard Marlin calling up to her.

"Celia? Are you up there?"

Celia looked in the direction of the stairs.

"Yes, Marlin, what is it?" she asked.

"Did you run into any trouble in town? You were back late."

Celia bit her lip. She didn't want to lie to Marlin but, if she told him about almost being run over, he might never let her go anywhere alone again.

"No, Marlin. Just bad traffic." She replied.

It was half of the truth. It seemed to satisfy him though.

"Okay, maybe you ought to leave earlier next time." He suggested.

Celia giggled.

"Of course, I will. Goodnight, Marlin" she called as she settled into bed.

"Goodnight." Marlin replied.

The house fell silent as everyone settled into bed. Celia stared at the ceiling as she waited to drift off. Scenes from the day floated around in her head. She thought about Marlin, the Harvest Sprites, the strawberries, and her trip to town. But the one thing that circled in her head was the young man who had saved her. She hadn't even got a good glimpse of his face but, somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It puzzled her endlessly and she drifted off.

The morning was fairly uneventful. She weeded and watered the strawberries, fixed a nice, hearty lunch for Marlin, Vesta and herself, and did inventory. It was just after noon when she was finished, so she decided to head up to the spring. She sat down among the bed of flowers and made circles in the dirt with her fingers.

"I love this place so much. I can come here and loose myself in the song of the birds and the wind through the trees. It's nice. Maybe that's why you live here, right? The quiet?" she said aloud.

She looked around to see if she could spot the Sprites. But there was nothing. All of a sudden, she became aware of someone watching her. She looked around to see Marlin standing at the edge of the clearing, looking at her with a smile on his face. Celia blushed and looked at the ground.

"D-does Vesta need me?" she stammered.

How long had he been standing there? Had he heard her talking to the Sprites? Did he think she was talking to him? Oh, she was so embarrassed! Marlin shook he head and strolled over toward her.

"No. I saw you heading up here and I thought I would join you." He said with a smile.

Celia's blush deepened.

"O-oh…I see…" she said quietly.

Marlin stood next to her, gazing into the water. The two were quiet for a long time.

"Celia?" Marlin started.

Celia's heartbeat began to quicken.

"Yes, Marlin?" she asked cautiously.

He hesitated for a moment and then continued.

"It's been a while since you came here…almost five years, right?" he said.

Celia nodded.

"Next summer." She added.

Marlin smiled.

"Yeah. Five years next summer." He affirmed.

He was silent for a long time. Celia could tell he was struggling with the words. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky.

"You know...things are so much different here in the Valley. Everything is so much simpler. At first, I didn't want to move out here because I thought it would be too boring. But now I see...that's the beauty of the Valley. It doesn't need to be flashy or busy to be exciting. Its perfectly beautiful...just the way it is."

Celia looked up and blushed when she saw that Marlin was looking at her as he said all these wonderful things. He was blushing a little too. He knelt down beside her, his eyes locked on hers. Celia could feel her heartbeat quicken and all the blood rush to her face as he gently grabbed her trembling hand. Her heart ached. She wanted to say something, anything, to make him stop. To prevent him from saying the words she knew were on his lips. But her mouth was dry and her lips refused to part and enable her to speak. So, he continued.

"Celia...I...I lo-"

But he couldn't finish as a coughing fit erupted. He covered his mouth and turned his head away. Celia sprang into action. She stood and helped him up.

"You didn't take your medicine, did you?" She stated as she started helping him down the path toward Vesta's.

Marlin shook his head in between coughs. Celia, though she was never glad to see Marlin in pain, was grateful for the timing of the attack. As they came up to the house, Vesta came out of the storeroom. She looked at Marlin, worried.

"An attack? He hasn't had one in so long." she said as she went to help them.

Celia opened the door as Vesta helped her brother inside.

"He forgot to take his medicine." Celia clarified.

Vesta gave Marlin a stern look as she helped him into bed.

"I even reminded you before I went out." she scolded.

Celia grabbed the small brown bottle off the shelf in the kitchen and a spoon from the drawer and came to Marlin's bedside. She pulled the cork out of the bottle and held the spoon out in front of her as she poured the dark red liquid on it. Steadily as she could, she brought the spoon down to Marlin's mouth and waited for a break in the coughing. When the opportunity came, she gently poured the liquid into his mouth. Marlin closed his mouth and swallowed, making a face as the bitter-tasting medicine went down. Celia put the cork back in the bottle and put it back up on the shelf.

"That's something you can't afford to forget, Marlin." Vesta reiterated.

Marlin nodded.

"Sorry, sis….I'll be more careful about it…" he said hoarsely.

Vesta chuckled lightly.

"You'd better." She said as she got up.

"Come on, Celia. Let's let him rest for a bit."

Celia nodded and followed Vesta out of the house, shutting the door behind her. She gave a sigh of relief as soon as they were outside. Vesta ran her hand through her hair.

"I wish he would be better about that. No matter how many times that happens, it scares the daylights out of me." She mumbled.

Celia nodded in agreement. When Celia first came, Marlin used to have attacks almost daily. It was so bad that he was often bedridden for days at a time. It was scary. He got better, though, when Dr. Hardy prescribed his medicine. Now his coughing fits were rare except when, like today, he forgot to take his medicine.

Vesta and Celia went about their work. The rest of the day passed without incident; until just before dusk, when Takakura stopped by to introduce his friend's son. Celia was in the store house when they came. Vesta called her and she came out. When she saw the boy's face, something nagged at the back of her mind. She'd seen him before, she knew it.

"That's Celia. She works for Vesta and Marlin." Takakura explained to the young man.

Celia smiled and waved at him. Why was he so familiar? She noticed him staring at her and blushed. Why was he looking at her like that? After a moment, he smiled and waaved back.

"Hi, my name is Jack." He said in a friendly manner.

Celia's eyes widened. His voice! Now she knew where she knew him from. He was the boy who saved her from being run over. Celia opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. So, she just shut her mouth and looked at the ground.

"I can honestly say: It's a pleasure to meet you, Celia."


End file.
